The present invention relates to electronic or computerized instant messaging, and, more specifically, to management of multiple synchronous responses to a single question in community-based electronic instant messaging.
Electronic or computerized instant messaging tools exist that allow a person (e.g., “User A”) to send a question or some other type of communication to some or all members of a particular topic-based community at the same time and in “real time” (i.e., virtually instantaneously). This may be carried out electronically via a desktop or laptop computer and/or hand-held portable or mobile personal communication device (e.g., cell phone, personal digital assistant (PDAs)), or any device capable of sending and receiving an electronic message, most often over some type of wired or wireless communications network(s). Community members may then receive an alert as to the incoming question and the members may then choose to respond in “real time” by either a group response (i.e., a “public” response seen by all other members of the community) or by a private “one-on-one” response only with the sender, User A. This is a type of “synchronous” communication between the initiator or sender of an instant message and one or more recipients of the instant message. However, if the number of members of the community is relatively large, User A may potentially be overwhelmed by the number of responses, particularly those in the private “one-on-one” settings. Also, synthesizing the response information from the responding community members can become difficult if the content of the responses is managed in different windows or views on the visual display device.